NEWS & SUCCESS STORIES

NEWS // September 2, 2016

SDCCU Stuff the Bus a Huge Success

SDCCU Stuff the Bus, held in partnership with the
San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and
iHeartMedia radio stations, yielded 4,808
backpacks and 246,543 school supplies for students as they headed back
to school this year. The SDCCU School Bus was on tour with Channel
933, Star 941, JAM’N 957 and KOGO AM 600 this summer making various
stops to collect supplies. The community was also encouraged to drop
off supplies at several participating locations, as well as any of SDCCU’s convenient San Diego
branch locations!

“We are beyond grateful for the
incredible support of our partners, especially San Diego County Credit
Union,” said Dr. Michelle Lustig, SDCOE’s manager of foster youth and
homeless education services. “The response to this effort was truly
extraordinary this year, leading to unprecedented results. Thousands
of students who are experiencing homelessness went back to school
ready to learn thanks to the amazing generosity of partners and
countless anonymous donors.”

“SDCCU Stuff the Bus
received an incredible amount of support from the community this year,
collecting a record number of supplies for students in the region
experiencing homelessness. It was so wonderful to see the community
come together to support this effort,” said Teresa Halleck, SDCCU
president and CEO. “We thank everyone who donated to help provide
these students with basic supplies to help better prepare them to
succeed in the classroom.”

SDCCU Stuff the Bus benefited
students in San Diego experiencing homelessness. According to the
SDCOE, more than 23,000 school-aged children were identified as
homeless during the last school year. Homelessness for school-age
children can mean living in a shelter, sharing a residence with whole
families, living in a car or trailer in San Diego County or sharing a
room in an apartment with relatives. Homelessness is not limited to
urban, downtown San Diego—it affects suburban school districts all
over the county.

“The quality and quantity of supplies
far exceeded our expectations,” said Susie Terry, project specialist
with SDCOE’s homeless education services. “We were able to assist more
students who are experiencing homelessness than ever before.”

In addition to the supply collection, the in-branch fundraiser
and online collection of donations resulted in a total of $23,622 to
be used to purchase supplies for students.

SDCCU Stuff
the Bus was launched in support of the Live Well San Diego initiative.
SDCCU, San Diego’s largest locally-owned financial institution, the
SDCOE and iHeartMedia are proud Live Well San Diego partners. The
County Board of Supervisors launched Live Well San Diego in 2010 with
the goal of achieving healthy, safe and thriving communities across
the region by partnering with community and city leaders, schools,
businesses, non-profit organizations and residents.